


starry eyes and rosy cheeks

by jaemarked



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Drinking, Fluff, M/M, Pre-Slash, ft amused jaehyun, just donghyuck being drunk and cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:35:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23355553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaemarked/pseuds/jaemarked
Summary: Thankfully, he made it to the stairs without bumping into any familiar faces (or getting a drink spilled on him). He felt guilty for not participating in Johnny’s party, but not guilty enough to stop him from dashing up the stairs and into his room. It took him a moment to realize that his door wasn’t locked — Johnny always remembered to lock Jaehyun’s door — and he froze in the entrance.There was a stranger in his room.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Lee Donghyuck | Haechan
Comments: 24
Kudos: 526





	starry eyes and rosy cheeks

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mythological](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mythological/gifts).



> i am feeding da jaehyuck nation once more. i wrote this in one sitting, don't expect too much from it.
> 
> here u go mina, this isn't the fic i was talking about btw

Jaehyun stared at the crystal clear water of the fountain in the park downtown. The sunset was reflected in the pool, and the pretty colours distorted with the slightest ripple, revealing the hundreds of coins beneath the water.

He dangled his cell phone above the water, and contemplated letting go. If he didn’t have a phone, he wouldn’t have to receive phone calls from his parents screaming their disappointment at him for his grades.

Jaehyun snorted wetly, wiping at the tears on his cheeks as he sat up, pocketing his phone. He was lucky it was cold, so no one was around to witness him try to kill his extremely expensive iPhone. _First world problems,_ he thought to himself, rubbing his nose with the back of his hand.

He looked at the backpack he had discarded on the ground prior to his mini breakdown, thinking of the textbooks packed tightly between two binders and his MacBook Pro. He should probably start studying more and try to bring his grades up. 

_“Not a single perfect score on your midterms, Jaehyun. Other kids have jobs and need to pay rent, and they still manage to do better than you. We allowed you to study what you wanted and this is what we get in return?”_

“I’m sorry,” Jaehyun murmured to his blurred reflection, closing his eyes tightly. The stress and pressure of the past two weeks had built up and up as he frantically crammed every bit of information he could think of, but the usual relief hadn’t come now that midterms were over. 

He thought he did well. His lowest score was a ninety-one, and he had spent hours in the library, or sitting at his desk with his eyes burning as he revised chapter after chapter. But his parents were right — he didn’t get a single perfect score. Back when he was in high school, achieving perfect grades on his exams was easy, as long as he studied every day and completed all of his homework. But now, he wasn’t achieving the same standard, and his parents weren’t happy about it. He himself wasn’t happy about it. 

Jaehyun contemplated calling Johnny to vent, but eventually decided against it, studying the scuff marks on his Balenciagas in an effort to keep from crying again. Johnny wasn’t a spoiled rich kid like Jaehyun. He worked a part-time job while balancing schoolwork and volleyball, and Jaehyun had seen him studying late into the night on many occasions because he didn’t have enough time in the day. Jaehyun didn’t have any financial obligations and he still couldn’t get high scores. It wouldn’t be fair for him to complain to Johnny.

He just wanted to curl up in his bed and sleep.

Sighing, Jaehyun stood up, his joints popping from having held himself so tightly for so long. He groaned quietly, picked up his backpack, and began the trek home. Not for the first time, he regretted not taking up his parents’ offer to buy him a car, but he didn’t want to give them more ammunition to use against him and guilt trip him with. He wished he had his wallet to pay for a cab, but he had forgotten it, and his phone died before he could get an Uber. 

It was a long walk back to the house he shared with Johnny, the one his parents paid for, but it was enough to clear his head. He eventually concluded that his parents’ expectations were just too high, and he didn’t need to be so disappointed in himself knowing that he tried his best, and he really did try. His parents weren’t there to see it, but he knew how much he sacrificed to achieve the grades he did. Still, his mood was low, and he couldn’t wait to get home and hide away in his room to sleep off the guilt and shame.

Except he had forgotten that he agreed to let Johnny throw a party to celebrate the end of midterms. Standing in front of his house, lit up with neon lights, Jaehyun felt the bass of the blaring music reverberating in his chest. He smiled weakly to himself, trying to rid his face of the bitter expression that had settled without him realizing. He didn’t want to ruin anyone’s happiness with his own pity party.

Jaehyun squeezed through the bodies of laughing students, praying he didn’t run into anyone he knew. They would take one look at his face and know that something was wrong, and Jaehyun didn’t want that to happen. He didn’t want to talk about his dumb rich kid problems.

Thankfully, he made it to the stairs without bumping into any familiar faces (or getting a drink spilled on him). He felt guilty for not participating in Johnny’s party, but not guilty enough to stop him from dashing up the stairs and into his room. It took him a moment to realize that his door wasn’t locked — Johnny _always_ remembered to lock Jaehyun’s door — and he froze in the entrance.

There was a stranger in his room.

His dog was _also_ in his room, and not in the heated dog house where he was usually kept during parties. Johnny’s friends were chill, and they never bothered Kairyx if Johnny asked them to not go outside, and Kairyx preferred sleeping in the backyard rather than inside the house whenever they had people over. Instead, the Alaskan Malamute was laying on the floor of Jaehyun’s room, curled protectively around a smaller boy whom Jaehyun wasn’t familiar with.

Kairyx wasn’t an aggressive dog by any means, but he tended to be aloof when it came to strangers. Yet here he was, snuggling with a random guy in Jaehyun’s bedroom, happily snoring away. The boy in question looked to be around Jaehyun’s age, perhaps a little bit younger. He had curly silver hair, tan skin, and long legs, and that was pretty much all Jaehyun could make out in the mess of Kai’s fur.

He didn’t have the energy for this.

Shutting the door to somewhat muffle the music, Jaehyun walked over to the dog and boy, stooping low. He grabbed the boy’s shoulder and shook it a couple times, and after a few moments, he raised his head groggily.

It was then that Jaehyun realized the boy in his room wasn’t really all that strange. It was Donghyuck Lee, one of Mark’s little friends. Jaehyun didn’t know much about him, but he wasn’t exactly an unfamiliar face.

And, judging by the flush to his cheeks, Donghyuck was definitely drunk.

“Mmph,” Donghyuck said in greeting.

“Uh, hi,” Jaehyun said awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. “What are you doing in my room?”

“Mm,” Donghyuck replied coherently, flopping against Kai who huffed irritably at being woken up. “Johnny told me I could wait here.”

His words were slurred, and it took Jaehyun a moment to process what he said, but a wave of irritation washed through him when he realized.

“Did he?” Jaehyun said through gritted teeth. He never minded when Mark or Sehun crashed in his bed when he wasn’t home, because he knew Mark and Sehun, but he didn’t know Donghyuck at all, and he hated that Johnny let him into his room without asking.

“Don’ be mad,” Donghyuck pleaded, sloppily pawing at the sleeve of Jaehyun’s sweater. He gave Jaehyun his best puppy eyes. “There was a creepy guy both’ring me. And Johnny’s room was occ’pied.”

“Occupied?” 

“Tha’s what I said,” Donghyuck said, rolling his eyes dramatically. Jaehyun had to hold back a snicker, the dark rain cloud over his head fading away.

“What do you mean by occupied?” Jaehyun asked.

“I mean—“ Donghyuck struggled to sit up, putting his mouth right next to Jaehyun’s ear. “ _Sex_.”

Jaehyun gasped as if he was scandalized. “ _No._ ”

“Yes!” Donghyuck giggled, leaning back against Kai who sniffed at his hair and licked his cheek. Jaehyun couldn’t help but smile at how happy his dog looked. Maybe it wasn’t so bad that Donghyuck was here in his room. He forgot that he wanted to hide under his blankets and rot away. He even forgot why he was so upset in the first place, too amused by the cute drunk boy on his floor. 

Said cute boy was currently squinting at him, eyes roaming over Jaehyun’s face in a way that felt rather judgmental. Suddenly, his eyes widened. “ _Whoa._ ”

“Whoa?” 

“You’re like…really good looking,” Donghyuck said, the first coherent sentence to come out of his mouth since he had woken up. Jaehyun’s ears burned, and he almost wanted to hide his face. Donghyuck sat up, and before Jaehyun could move away, he reached out and grabbed Jaehyun’s ears between his fingers. “Your ears are so red!”

“That’s because I’m embarrassed,” Jaehyun muttered, but Donghyuck didn’t pay him any mind, his hands sliding from Jaehyun’s ears to his cheeks.

“Oh my god,” Donghyuck marveled. “Your cheeks are so squishy.” He demonstrated by squishing Jaehyun’s cheeks. To amuse him, Jaehyun puffed out his cheeks like a blowfish, and Donghyuck squealed happily, his eyes lighting up. “Your face is so soft…like a pancake.”

“Like a what?” Jaehyun asked, but Donghyuck just patted his face roughly and let go. 

“So fluffy,” Donghyuck sighed, but Jaehyun wasn’t sure if he was still talking about his face or his dog, whose belly Donghyuck was eagerly rubbing. Jaehyun watched Kai flop on his back, panting happily, and had a brief moment where he wished he could switch places with his dog.

 _Oh to be a Alaskan Malamute being petted by a cute boy,_ Jaehyun thought to himself, but he was distracted by Donghyuck shakily climbing to his feet.

“Where are you going?” Jaehyun asked, slightly concerned.

“Jus’ gon’ leave,” Donghyuck mumbled. “You don’ want me here, I feel bad.”

“You gonna be able to get home?” Jaehyun stood up as well, reaching out to steady Donghyuck when he stumbled. “You’re pretty drunk.”

“No I’m not!” Donghyuck retorted, crossing his arms. He nearly tipped over before Jaehyun caught himself again, taking care to only touch his arm.

“Sorry, I was worried you were going to fall,” Jaehyun said immediately, feeling weird about touching someone he didn’t know, even though his person was squeezing his face not ten minutes ago. 

“Oh no,” Donghyuck said to himself, completely ignoring Jaehyun’s apology. He turned to Jaehyun with glistening eyes, and Jaehyun was ready to hand over anything he asked for. _Goddammit, why is he so cute?_ “Oh no.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I forgot my address,” Donghyuck sobbed. 

“Hey, it’s okay!” Jaehyun said, half-panicked. He had no idea what to do around crying people. “Let me get my keys, I’ll drive you! You can just give me directions!”

“Directions?” Donghyuck replied, his lower lip trembling.

“Yes? Like, turn left or turn right? Go straight?”

“I refuse to be straight,” Donghyuck sniffled, and Jaehyun smacked his palm to his forehead, dragging it down his face. “Was there a bug?”

Jaehyun startled. “What?”

“On your head,” Donghyuck explained. “You smacked your head, so I thought you were killing a bug.” 

“No…” Jaehyun said slowly.

“Your forehead is red.” Donghyuck grabbed Jaehyun’s shoulders and leaned up onto his tiptoes to examine the apparent red mark on his skin. Jaehyun hadn’t realized he’d facepalmed so hard. He was so lost in his thoughts he didn’t even realize Donghyuck was leaning in until soft lips pressed tenderly against his forehead right where he hit himself. 

“There!” Donghyuck exclaimed, pulling back. “All better! Wait, why are you crying?”

“I’m not,” Jaehyun choked out, but he could feel tears streaming down his cheeks anyway. It had been a long, long day, and he hadn’t realized how much he was craving affection until he received the slightest bit. “Sorry I just—“

“There, there.” Donghyuck patted his head, kind of violently, but the surprise made Jaehyun stop crying. Donghyuck grabbed his ears again, and Jaehyun went cross-eyed and Donghyuck leaned in, his breath smelling like fruity liquor. “Did you have a bad day?”

Jaehyun thought about lying, but decided there was no harm in telling a drunk boy that he was kinda sad. “Yeah, I did. How’d you know?”

“I can tell,” Donghyuck said, patting his chest. Then he looked at Jaehyun’s chest and patted it, too. “Hmm.”

Jaehyun felt very judged. 

“Aha, maybe it’s time we take you home,” Jaehyun said awkwardly, gently lowering Donghyuck’s hand. “Or at least get you some water to help you sober up.”

“I told you, I’m not drunk,” Donghyuck insisted. Kai barked in agreement, and Jaehyun sighed. 

“Please drink water,” Jaehyun begged. “It would make me so happy.”

Donghyuck squinted at him. “You are being tricksy.”

“Yes I am,” Jaehyun replied, rounding his bed to access the mini fridge that he used as a night table. He pulled out a bottle of water and handed it to Donghyuck, who was now sitting quietly on his bed. Donghyuck obediently cracked open the bottle and sipped at it slowly, water dribbling down his chin and dotting his light gray t-shirt. 

Seriously, of all things, Jaehyun never expected he would be caring for a strange, drunk boy sitting in his room at midnight, but he found he didn’t mind so much. Actually, it was relieving to have something to occupy his mind instead of fretting over his grades. 

“I drank water,” Donghyuck hiccuped, “so you have to smile now.”

“I do?” 

“Yes,” Donghyuck said exasperatedly, stomping his foot. “You said if I drank water you would be happy, and I can’t tell if you’re happy if you don’t smile!”

“I miss when you couldn’t speak,” Jaehyun said, but he was smiling anyway. Donghyuck gasped and reached for his face again.

“You have dimples!” Jaehyun nodded, pulling his face out from Donghyuck’s reach. He pouted, but Kai came up to him and put his head on his thigh, successfully distracting Donghyuck enough for Jaehyun to plug in his dead phone. Hopefully, he could call or text Mark to get Donghyuck’s address, because he was not about to venture into that mess of a party in order to find him. Besides, the last time Jaehyun had seen Mark at a party, he had witnessed him making out with both Johnny _and_ Lucas, and Jaehyun never wanted a repeat of that incident again.

“I’m sorry for crashing your room,” Donghyuck mumbled, gently petting Kai’s ears. “I didn’t want to go back out there alone, and I think Johnny forgot about me.”

“It’s alright, I don’t mind,” Jaehyun said gently, and he was surprised to find how true that statement was. Maybe it was because Donghyuck was endearingly cute, or maybe because his drunken happiness was infectious, but Jaehyun really didn’t mind at all as he waited for his phone to turn on. “Hey, I’m gonna call Mark and get your address so I can take you home, okay?”

No answer.

Jaehyun looked up and Donghyuck was nowhere to be seen. Confused, he crawled to the foot of the bed and found Donghyuck sprawled on his fluffy rug, fast asleep with Kairyx curled up next to him. 

“Dumb puppies,” Jaehyun sighed, but he was inexplicably fond. He grabbed a blanket and a few pillows and climbed down from the bed. He worried about waking up Donghyuck as he slid a pillow under his head, but Donghyuck seemed dead to the world, mouth open and snoring softly. Jaehyun covered him with the blanket and went into the ensuite bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. 

As he rinsed his mouth, Jaehyun wondered if he should let a random boy sleep in his room while he slept, but he figured if Donghyuck was friends with Mark, he probably wouldn’t steal any of Jaehyun’s things. And with that, Jaehyun spat in the sink and returned to his bedroom to crawl under the covers, but not before placing the bathroom trash can next to Donghyuck’s sleeping form in case he got sick during the night.

“Hey Siri,” Jaehyun said to his phone as Donghyuck snored away. “Turn off the lights.”

“Turning off the lights,” came Siri’s response, and soon the room darkened. Content, Jaehyun pulled the blankets all the way up to his chin and snuggled into the pillows. He could deal with Donghyuck in the morning, hopefully when he was sober.

But for now, Jaehyun was exhausted, so he closed his eyes and let himself drift off in a deep, dreamless sleep.

Jaehyun woke up early the next morning despite having been up for so late the night before. He groaned into his pillow, planning to roll over and fall back asleep when he remembered Donghyuck. He sat upright groggily, rubbing his eye with a curled fist. Except Donghyuck was nowhere to be found, though Kairyx was still happily snoozing away.

“You’re so lazy,” Jaehyun said to him. “Let’s go for a walk.”

Kairyx huffed at him, so Jaehyun figured he could just let him out into the backyard for some exercise and then walk him properly once he had some breakfast. He went into the bathroom to complete his morning routine first, then headed for the kitchen, leaving the door open in case Kai wanted to leave. He found Johnny at the stove cooking pancakes, and Donghyuck and Mark sitting at their table. Somehow, the house was completely spotless, no evidence of the party that happened the night before. Jaehyun decided to count his blessings and didn’t question it.

“Good morning,” Jaehyun greeted. Mark looked worse for wear, but surprisingly Donghyuck and Johnny seemed fine.

“Morning,” Johnny replied, not turning away from the stove. “Pancakes?”

“Yes, please,” Jaehyun said eagerly, sitting at the table across from Donghyuck. He grinned to himself when Donghyuck blushed and looked away.

“I have no idea what I did last night,” Donghyuck mumbled, “but I’m sorry for any distress I may have caused.”

“I kinda forgot he was still in your room, Jae,” Johnny said sheepishly, sliding a stack of pancakes onto the table. He also handed Jaehyun a clean plate and fork, and Jaehyun accepted it gratefully, reaching for the maple syrup. “Sorry about that.”

“No worries, either of you,” Jaehyun replied. “I had fun.”

“What _did_ he do?” Mark asked curiously, wincing when Donghyuck punched him in the arm. “Ow! I was just asking!”

“Not much,” Jaehyun answered, digging into a small stack of pancakes. “Just petted my dog, and my face.”

“It is a nice face,” Johnny hummed, finally settling down himself. Donghyuck just blushed even harder, refusing to look anyone in the eye. It was morning, he was sober, his hair was a mess, and Jaehyun still thought he looked cute. He was wearing a shirt that was most definitely Johnny’s, oversized and slipped off one of his shoulders to reveal golden skin speckled with beauty marks. Jaehyun caught himself staring several times, and by the way Johnny raised an eyebrow at him, he must have caught him too. 

Breakfast was an interesting affair, as Johnny teased Mark about his recent conquest of making out with Renjun Huang and Mark mocked Johnny for being unable to score with Sicheng Dong. Jaehyun listened, entertained, as he devoured his pancakes.

Eventually, Kai began barking from Jaehyun’s room, and he knew it was time to take his dog for a walk. Sighing, Jaehyun excused himself from the table, discarding his plate in the sink to wash later. He walked to his bedroom and was surprised to hear footsteps following him, too light to be Johnny’s and too tentative to Mark’s, who walked around as if he owned the place. He turned to see Donghyuck had followed him, smiling guiltily.

“Hey, I just wanted to say I’m sorry for whatever I did last night. I was drunk, but that’s not an excuse. It wasn’t cool of me,” Donghyuck said, rubbing his arm, eyes downcast. Jaehyun smiled, still feeling fond, and rested a hand atop Donghyuck’s messy curls. Donghyuck looked up at him, eyes wide.

“Don’t worry about it. You actually cheered me up,” Jaehyun said. “And besides, you’re cute when you’re drunk.”

And with that, he left a stunned Donghyuck in the hallway, entering his bedroom to buckle the harness and leash on his dog so they could go for a walk. Kairyx was a well-behaved dog most of the time, but all bets were off when he spotted a squirrel, and Jaehyun needed the harness to keep him from running off.

“Good boy, Kai,” Jaehyun praised, ruffling his fur. Kai panted happily, nudging into Jaehyun’s hand for more pets. “Thanks for watching over Donghyuck while he slept.”

When he left his room, Kairyx in tow, Donghyuck was nowhere in sight, but Johnny handed him a slip of paper as he passed through the kitchen to take Kai outside. Unfolding the paper, he found a note scrawled to him in neat, looping letters.

_You’re cute when I’m drunk too, but you’re even cuter when I’m sober. Text me if you want (xxx)-xxx-xxxx._

_—Donghyuckie_

_P.S thanks again for watching over me. And for letting me pet your dog. Please give him kisses, he is a good boy._

_P.P.S please also give me kisses, I am a good boy too_

**Author's Note:**

> [twitter](https://twitter.com/jaemarkism)  
>  [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/jaemarked)


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